Beijing counterfeiters given hefty sentences

A group of people were given sentences ranging from 54 months to 14 years in prison by Beijing No 3 Intermediate People's Court for making and selling counterfeit currency, Beijing News reported on Tuesday.

The four defendants, surnamed Guo, Zhou, Zhang and Huang, were identified having produced fake money with face value of more than 670,000 yuan ($99,059), the report said.

The forged money and a set of devices for making the currency were seized when the group was detained in a village in the capital's Yanqing district on March 11, 2018, it said.

The four were charged with the crimes of making and selling fake money by the No 3 branch of Beijing People's Procuratorate on Jan 19.

Prosecutors said Guo and Zhou were taxi drivers, and began playing cards and gambling after meeting Zhang in 2013. The three decided to forge money as Guo and Zhou owed gambling debts.

Guo and Zhou called Huang to join the group because Huang had some fake money samples, which could help them counterfeit, the prosecutors said.

The defendants offered forged currency to those driving taxies at night, and that money was then given to passengers as change, according to the prosecutors.

Their offense was discovered after a passenger called police last February, the prosecutors added.

Guo, Zhou and Huang were sentenced to 14, 13 and 12 years in prison respectively for making counterfeit money, while Zhang was sentenced to four years and six months for making and selling the forgeries.